Erftstadt () is a town located about 20 km south-west of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

in the

Rhein-Erft-Kreis The Rhein-Erft-Kreis () is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neuss (district), Neuss, district-free Cologne, Rhein-Sieg, Euskirchen (district), Euskirchen, Düren (district), Düren. History The ...

, state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The name of the town derives from the river that flows through it, the

Erft The Erft () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine (left tributary). Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef Cardina ...

. The neighbouring towns are Brühl,

Kerpen Kerpen (; Ripuarian: ''Kerpe'') is the most populated town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). It is located about 20 kilometres southwest from Cologne. As of 2023, Kerpen has a total population of 67,627. Division of ...

Zülpich Zülpich (; ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district of Euskirchen. History The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of ''Tolbiacum'', famous for the Battle of T ...

and

Weilerswist Weilerswist () is a municipality in the Euskirchen (district), district of Euskirchen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, approximately 10 kilometers north of Euskirchen, and 20 kilometers south-west o ...

. A landslide during the

2021 European floods In July 2021, several European countries were affected by severe floods. Some were catastrophic, causing deaths and widespread damage. The floods started in the United Kingdom as flash floods causing some property damage and inconvenience. Lat ...

led to the collapse of several houses.

Coat of arms

In green are one silver/white left flank bar and on the right border of the shield two golden/yellow squares. The green ground expresses the nature and the health. The silver flank bar represents the river

. The right side looks like an "E" for Erftstadt. The yellow squares represent the biggest villages Lechenich and Liblar. The coat of arms was designed by Josef Günterberg from Berlin. The town got it as an official coat of arms on 15 March 1974.

Geography

Erftstadt is located 25 km north-west of Bonn. Its height ranges from 81 to 151 metres above sea level. The following towns and municipalities border on Erftstadt: *

Hürth Hürth () is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hürth shares borders with the city of Cologne and is about 6 km to the southwest of Cologne city centre, at the northeastern slope of the natural preserve Natur ...

* Brühl *

Vettweiß Vettweiß (alternative spelling: ''Vettweiss'') is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km south-east of Düren. Division of the municipality Vettweiß con ...

Nörvenich Nörvenich is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about east of Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between ...

Education

In Erftstadt are five further schools: two

gymnasiums A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

, two ''Realschulen'' and one

Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

. In Lechenich are the Theodor-Heuss-Schule, the only Hauptschule in Erftstadt. There also are the Realschule Lechenich and the Gymnasium Lechenich. The Realschule "Gottfried-Kinkel-Realschule" and the Gymnasium Ville-Gymnasium are located in Liblar. The only private school in Erftstadt, the Freie Waldorfschule Erftstadt, can be found in Liblar too. It is a primary and a secondary school. There are seven primary schools in Erftstadt: *Donatus-Schule Liblar *Erich-Kästner-Schule Bliesheim *Nordschule Lechenich *Südschule Lechenich *Grundschule Gymnich *St. Barbara-Concordia-Schule Kierdorf *Janusz-Korczak-Schule Erp The TH Köln plans to have a new faculty for Spatial development and infrastructure systems in Erftstadt. There is one music school called Bernd-Alois-Zimmermann-Musikschule in Liblar.

Twin towns – sister cities

Erftstadt is twinned with: *

Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(1977) *

Viry-Châtillon Viry-Châtillon () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Inhabitants of Viry-Châtillon are also known as ''Castelvirois'' in French. Sports The town is home to the wome ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(1980) *

Jelenia Góra Jelenia Góra (; ; ) is a historic city in southwestern Poland, within the historical region of Lower Silesia. Jelenia Góra is situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, close to the Karkonosze mountain range running along the Polish-Czech bo ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

(1995) *

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

(2023) *

Panketal Panketal is a municipality in the district of Barnim, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 15 km northeast of Berlin (centre). History Panketal emerged in 2003 by merging the municipalities Zepernick and Schwanebeck. Since 1996, the pop ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

(1990)

Wards of Erftstadt

The town of Erftstadt consists of the following 14 ''

Stadtbezirk A (; also called ''Ortsbezirk'' in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) is an administrative division in Germany, which is part of a larger city. It is translated as "borough". In Germany, usually only exist in a metropolis with more than 150,000 in ...

e'' (in brackets: population, 2023/03/01) *

Ahrem Ahrem was a village in Germany near Cologne. Ahrem is now part of the town Erftstadt. Geographical location , population 1,103 (2003). The first written documentation about Ahrem was in 1256, when the archbishop of Cologne mentions ''Ainhem''. ...

(1,176) *Blessem and Frauenthal (1,641) *Bliesheim (3,721) *Borr and Scheuren(366) *Dirmerzheim (2,223) * Erp (2,665) *Friesheim (3,070) *Gymnich and Mellerhöfe (5,003) *Herrig (552) *Kierdorf (3,163) *Köttingen (3,584) *Lechenich and Konradsheim (11, 503) * Liblar (13,365) *Niederberg (542) Most of the town administration is in Liblar, the most populous ''Stadtbezirk''. The second-most populous ''Stadtbezirk'' is Lechenich.

Notable people

* Adolph Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1553–1619), cathedral dean in

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...

and steward of the duke Wilhelm V. of Bavaria * Wilhelm Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1563–1636), Jesuit Father and Rector of the Colleges of

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

and

* Johann Adolf Wolff Metternich zur Gracht (1592–1669), high official at multiple princely courts, Baron, Lord to Liblar,

Odenthal Odenthal () is a municipality in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Odenthal is situated approximately 5 km north of Bergisch Gladbach and 15 km north-east of Cologne. Neighbouring places Near ...

and

Flehingen Oberderdingen is a town in the Karlsruhe (district), district of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 30 km east of Karlsruhe and 32 km west of Heilbronn. References

Karlsruhe (district) {{Karlsruhedistr ...

* Anna Adriana Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht (1621–1698), Canoness and Abbess of St. Maria in the Kapitol,

* Hermann Werner Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (1625–1704), prince bishop of

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

. He funded and equipped the church St. Alban in Liblar * Franz Arnold Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht (1658–1718, born in Liblar), later prince bishop of

and

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

Carl Schurz Carl Christian Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German-American revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He migrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent ...

(1829–1906), politician and first German-born cabinet secretary (Secretary of the Interior 1877–1881) in the US * Carl Brendgen (1841–1916), owner of three briquette factories in the area of Erftstadt and pioneer of the industrial use of brown coal in the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

Jean Bungartz Jean Bungartz (6 May 1854 – 15 September 1934) was a German animal painter, author and book illustrator. Bungartz founded the Hamburger Verein zur Förderung reiner Hunderassen, the Hamburg society for the promotion of pure-bred dogs, in ...

(1854–1934), animal artist, specialist author, photographer, breeder, lived from 1886 to 1913 in Lechenich *

Joseph Kentenich Peter Joseph Kentenich, SAC (16 November 1885 – 15 September 1968) was a German Pallottine priest and founder of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement. Kentenich was a theologian, educator, and founder of a Catholic movement, whose teachings un ...

(1885–1968), founder of the

Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement The Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt () is a Catholic Marian movement founded in Germany in 1914 by Fr Joseph Kentenich, who saw the movement as a means of spiritual renewal for the Catholic Church. The movement is named after the small loc ...

* Anna Reitler (1894 – 1948, born in Liblar), politician ( KPD), Reichtags deputy * Dietrich Schulz-Köhn (28 December 1912 – 7 December 1999, born in

Sonneberg Sonneberg () in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

) was a music author, radio host and jazz expert, lived and died in Liblar *

Bernd Alois Zimmermann Bernd Alois Zimmermann (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera ''Die Soldaten'', which is regarded as one of the most important German operas of the 20th century, after those of Berg. Hi ...

(1918–1970), composer, born in Bliesheim *

Hennes Weisweiler Hans "Hennes" Weisweiler (5 December 1919 – 5 July 1983) was a German professional football player and coach. As a coach, he won major titles with Bundesliga clubs Borussia Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln in the 1970s. With eleven titles, ...

(1919–1983), football coach, born in Lechenich *

Peter Mittelstaedt Peter Mittelstaedt pseudonym Karl Rottmann (born November 24, 1929, in Leipzig - November 21, 2014, in Erftstadt), was a German physicist, philosopher, and scientific theorist. Biography After studying physics at the universities of Jena, Bonn, ...

:(1929–2014) Physicist, philosopher and science theorist *

Manfred Donike Manfred Donike (23 August 1933, Köttingen, Rhine Province – 21 August 1995, on a flight from Frankfurt am Main to Johannesburg) was a German cyclist and chemist, known for his research on doping. Donike lived in Rölsdorf. Donike studi ...

(1933–1995), cyclist, chemist and well-known doping investigator *

Heinz Küpper The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869 ...

(born 1935), First Deputy ( CDU) and Head of Culture of Erftstadt from 1982 to 1999 * Herbert Feuerstein (1937–2020), satirist and entertainer, lived in Niederberg * Cornelius Bormann (born 1939), journalist of the

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signalli ...

, lives in Lechenich * Norbert Pies (born 1956), biologist, author, local historian and genealogist, lives in Lechenich * Michael Breuer (born 1965), minister of state a. D., president of the Rheinischer Sparkassenverband, head of supervisory board

WestLB Westdeutsche Landesbank (, abbreviated as WestLB) was a major German bank based in Düsseldorf, mainly controlled by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was created in 1969 by the merger of two predecessor entities respectively for th ...

Lukas Klünter Lukas Klünter (born 26 May 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or defender for club Waldhof Mannheim. Club career Klünter broke into Köln's senior team during the 2016–17 season. In May 2017, he scored hi ...

(born 1996), football player, lives in Friesheim *

Ismail Jakobs Ismail Joshua Jakobs (born 17 August 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for Süper Lig club Galatasaray, on loan from Ligue 1 club Monaco. Born in Germany, he plays for the Senegal national team. Club career 1. FC Köln ...

(born 1996), football player, lives in Liblar

References

External links

Liblar and Carl Schurz

ErftstadtWiki
(local city wiki) {{Authority control Rhein-Erft-Kreis Districts of the Rhine Province